Virgin Galactic Makes Space for Second Time in Ten Weeks with Three On Board. Image Credit: Virgin Galactic

In its fifth supersonic rocket powered test flight, Virgin Galactic reached space on February 22 for the second time in the skies above Mojave, California. Spaceship VSS Unity reached its highest speed and altitude to date and, for the first time, carried a third crew member on board along with research payloads from the NASA Flight Opportunities program.

This
space flight means Chief Pilot Dave Mackay and co-pilot Michael “Sooch”
Masucci become commercial astronauts and the 569th and 570th humans in
space. Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s Chief Astronaut Instructor, flew as
the third crew member in a first, live evaluation of cabin dynamics.
She is the 571st person to fly to space and the first woman to fly on
board a commercial spaceship.

Chief Pilot Dave Mackay and co-pilot Michael “Sooch” Masucci become commercial astronauts and the 569th and 570th humans in space. Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s Chief Astronaut Instructor, is the 571st person to fly to space and the first woman to fly on board a commercial spaceship. Image Credit: Virgin Galactic

In addition to this element of
envelope expansion, VSS Unity flew higher and faster than ever before,
as its world record-holding hybrid rocket motor propelled the spaceship
at Mach 3.04 to an apogee of 295,007ft.

The crew enjoyed extraordinary views of Earth from the black skies of space and, during several minutes of weightlessness while the pilots “feathered” the spaceship in preparation for a Mach 2.7 re-entry, Moses floated free to complete a number of cabin evaluation test points. The human validation of data previously collected via sensors, and the live testing of other physical elements of the cabin interior, are fundamental to the provision of a safe but enjoyable customer experience.

The glide
back home was followed by a smooth runway landing and a rapturous
reception from the crowd on the flight line, which included staff and
some of Virgin Galactic’s 600 future astronaut customers.

Chief
Pilot Dave Mackay, a born and bred Scotsman as well as an ex-RAF test
pilot and Virgin Atlantic Captain, led his crew of newly qualified
astronauts from VSS Unity accompanied by a kilted piper.

Today’s
flight notched several additional firsts for the industry: The flight
was the first time that a non-pilot flew on board a commercial spaceship
to space, and it was the first time that a crew member floated freely
without restraints in weightlessness in space onboard a commercial
spaceship; it was the first time that three people flew to space on a
commercial spaceship, and Dave Mackay became the first Scottish-born
astronaut (Brian Binnie, who was raised in Scotland, flew to space in
2004).

Addressing colleagues and guests Dave said: “Beth, Sooch
and I just enjoyed a pretty amazing flight which was beyond anything any
of us has ever experienced. It was thrilling yet smooth and nicely
controlled throughout with a view at the top, of the Earth from space,
which exceeded all our expectations. I am incredibly proud of my crew
and of the amazing teams at Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company
for providing a vehicle and an operation which means we can fly
confidently and safely. For the three of us today this was the
fulfillment of lifelong ambitions, but paradoxically is also just the
beginning of an adventure which we can’t wait to share with thousands of
others.”

Sir Richard Branson said: “Flying the same vehicle
safely to space and back twice in a little over two months, while at the
same time expanding the flight envelope, is testament to the unique
capability we have built up within the Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship
Company organizations. I am immensely proud of everyone involved.
Having Beth fly in the cabin today, starting to ensure that our customer
journey is as flawless as the spaceship itself, brings a huge sense of
anticipation and excitement to all of us here who are looking forward to
experiencing space for ourselves. The next few months promise to be
the most thrilling yet”